{"id":55184,"date":"2015-03-13T16:29:40","date_gmt":"2015-03-13T16:29:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=a0058b5b5c1cf132aa9893f914a82b31"},"modified":"2015-03-13T16:29:40","modified_gmt":"2015-03-13T16:29:40","slug":"speech-corporate-covenant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=55184","title":{"rendered":"Speech: Corporate covenant"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Introduction<\/h3>\n

I\u2019m delighted to be here for the first annual conference of this type between defence and employers\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2026just one of the many signs that there has been a welcome step-change in our relationship.<\/p>\n

For those of you who don\u2019t know, I\u2019m the Minister for the Armed Forces \u2026 and I\u2019m delighted to be Stu Peach\u2019s \u201cwarm up act\u201d. <\/p>\n

It can be an unexpectedly hazardous occupation\u2026 <\/p>\n

\u2026but not in the way you might think<\/p>\n

(Chicksands)<\/p>\n

My background<\/h3>\n

But, of course, in all sorts of other ways my role is the most rewarding one imaginable.<\/p>\n

And today we\u2019re discussing the covenant \u2026a subject very close to my heart.<\/p>\n

\u2026not just because I served as the departmental Whip at the time we were enshrining the principles of the covenant into law.<\/p>\n

\u2026not just because\u2026when I became a minister\u2026I had quite a bit to do with drafting the original Corporate Covenant <\/p>\n

\u2026but because\u2026as someone whose father served on a minesweeper on D-Day
\n\u2026someone who served as an infantry officer in the Territorial Army at the height of the Cold War
\n\u2026and someone who sees the incredible work of our service men and women day in day out <\/p>\n

\u2026I know how important it is that we help those who lay their lives on the line to help us<\/p>\n

We listened to you<\/h3>\n

As suppliers of talent to our armed forces\u2026as well as providers of opportunity\u2026employers have a greater stake in the covenant than most<\/p>\n

But we knew our relationship with you left room for improvement.<\/p>\n

So we made sure we listened to what you had to say.<\/p>\n

In our reserves green paper consultation we spoke to many employers across the country.<\/p>\n

\u2026the message that came back was that you wanted a more open and predictable relationship.<\/p>\n

\u2026one where you didn\u2019t find another person at the end of the line every time you rang us up.<\/p>\n

So we promised you a single point of contact.<\/p>\n

And we kept our word.<\/p>\n

Last spring we set up the Defence Relationship Management team.<\/p>\n

\u2026providing clearer lines of communication between you and defence.<\/p>\n

Why we came up with the covenant<\/h3>\n

Also, as part of this process\u2026we in the Ministry of Defence\u2026realised that many companies large and small instinctively wanted to do their bit for service personnel\u2026their families\u2026and, indeed, for veterans. <\/p>\n

\u2026but were unsure how to best go about it.<\/p>\n

There were a number of initiatives but no easily accessible template.<\/p>\n

We needed something that was simple.<\/p>\n

\u2026something non-bureaucratic\u2026(which is\u2026I know\u2026asking a lot of government!) <\/p>\n

\u2026something specifically designed so companies from the largest in the land.<\/p>\n

\u2026to the smallest and most humble .<\/p>\n

\u2026could demonstrate their support for all those who wear the Queen\u2019s uniform.<\/p>\n

So we created that template.<\/p>\n

And called it the Corporate Covenant.<\/p>\n

\u2026with a menu of options for companies to:<\/p>\n

\u2026declare themselves armed forces friendly
\n\u2026provide job advice and interviews for veterans and service spouses
\n\u2026support our reserves
\n\u2026offer exclusive discounts for members of the armed forces community
\n\u2026or even back their local cadet unit<\/p>\n

In true MOD<\/abbr> style officials produced a detailed explanatory note on how it would work\u2026some 10 pages long. That swiftly became a victim of the ministerial red pen. It\u2019s now just 4 pages!<\/p>\n

But, actually, when you boil the Corporate Covenant down to its essence\u2026 you can explain it in just a couple of lines.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s about stopping personnel from suffering disadvantage. <\/p>\n

And it\u2019s about extending opportunity to the best and brightest in our society.<\/p>\n

\u2026those who have received a unique training.
\n\u2026those possessed of unparalleled leadership skills.
\n\u2026those who are immensely employable in their own right.<\/p>\n

And with 83% of ex-service personnel finding a job after the first 6 months\u2026many sooner than that\u2026it\u2019s not hard to see why they are such an asset to any company.<\/p>\n

I think of it like this. Imagine a Corporal\u2026serving on Op Herrick in Afghanistan\u2026someone who regularly leads a fighting patrol in a high IED<\/abbr> threat environment. <\/p>\n

Eventually\u2026 after completing his service with the colours with honour\u2026 he moves on. Now an ex-corporal he finds himself at the morning office team meeting \u2026when a colleague rushes in \u2026and says the 4 o\u2019clock conference call has moved forward \u2026can you cope with that? <\/p>\n

And the answer is yes\u2026he probably can actually.<\/p>\n

Vodafone announcement<\/h3>\n

On one wall in my office is a copy of the first Corporate Covenant ever signed\u2026with the names of the 5 major employer organisations who signed it, the British Chambers of Commerce, the Federation of Small Businesses, the Institute of Directors, the Confederation of British Industry and the Business Services Association.<\/p>\n

They signed it way back in June 2013\u2026joining the first company to come on board\u2026National Express.<\/p>\n

I remember when we signed that document\u2026sitting at the Duke of Wellington\u2019s old desk in Horse Guards\u2026that someone said we might have started something big. <\/p>\n

And it looks like they were right. It\u2019s astonishing to think we\u2019re now closing in on the magic 500 mark. With\u2026as of today 492\u2026employers on the list.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m delighted to announce that the ink is still drying on our latest signature.<\/p>\n

One hour ago\u2026 one of the largest companies in Britain\u2026a company with a market capitalisation of nearly \u00a360 billion added their name to the roll call of honour. <\/p>\n

\u2026Vodafone now joins other FTSE 100 stalwarts such as BAe Systems, Babcock, Barclays, and Tesco\u2026.as well as major utilities such as Anglia Water\u2026and famous names such as Liverpool FC. <\/p>\n

Yet what\u2019s remarkable\u2026as the composition of our audience today attests\u2026is the spread of covenant companies across the spectrum<\/p>\n

We have the country\u2019s largest employers joining hands with small and medium sized companies employing less than a hundred\u2026less than 50\u2026less than even 10 people all doing their bit.<\/p>\n

Vodafone\u2026as part of its commitment today\u2026are launching a career portal to engage service leavers.<\/p>\n

They are pledging to develop their relationship with the one group of people who can always get a signal, The Royal Signals, 94 Signal Squadron.<\/p>\n

And they have committed to a 20% discount to defence personnel and up to 5 family members. <\/p>\n

Technical announcements<\/h3>\n

But I want to take the opportunity today\u2026to make 3 other announcements \u2026of a more technical nature.<\/p>\n

Announcements that have come about because we\u2019re continuing to work closely with our partners and employers. <\/p>\n

Announcements which will ultimately increase opportunity to those currently out of work.<\/p>\n

So today I am pleased to tell you that we\u2019ve joined forces with Jobcentre Plus and the Work Programme\u2026to extend a scheme known as the Armed Forces Employability Pathways\u2026 across the UK. <\/p>\n

Under this scheme, job seekers who are eligible, suitable and interested in the armed forces\u2026whether regular or reserve\u2026will be identified\u2026and given a week\u2019s course as a taster of military life.<\/p>\n

\u2026followed by work experience with a civilian employer. <\/p>\n

It will help arm those without work with the confidence and experience to get on, or further up, the jobs ladder and ideally to join the armed forces.<\/p>\n

We know reserve service itself can help the unemployed find a way to break into the labour market.<\/p>\n

So my second announcement is that from 1 April\u2026job seekers who sign up for the reserves\u2026will be able to train for up to a total of 43 days in their first year without having to sign off, enough to complete their initial training. <\/p>\n

Thank you to IDS and DWP<\/abbr>. <\/p>\n

Thirdly\u2026and I hope you\u2019re ready for this. <\/p>\n

\u2026we are amending Statutory Instrument 859, the Reserve Forces (Call-Out and Recall) (Financial Assistance) Regulations.<\/p>\n

Before you dash out and ring your broker\u2026let me explain what this means.<\/p>\n

At present, we only pay additional costs of a replacement employee while the reservist employee is mobilised.<\/p>\n

In future, employers will be able to claim costs of hand over and hand back periods before and after the mobilisation.<\/p>\n

It also means that\u2026in future self-employed reservists\u2026may claim for certain business expenses\u2026such as storage or insurance costs\u2026 if they have to put their business on hold when mobilised. <\/p>\n

But this is about administrative as well as financial assistance. We\u2019re also clearing the red tape so you can get your claim sorted quickly.<\/p>\n

Success and momentum<\/h3>\n

Our strengthened relationship with employers is now making a real difference.<\/p>\n

One measure of our success is the increase in reservist numbers. <\/p>\n

Last quarter the numbers doubled over the equivalent period the year before and the next quarter should be further ahead<\/p>\n

But what\u2019s even more impressive to my mind is the way covenant companies across the country are now delivering on their promises. Not just supporting reserve service but working to tackle commercial disadvantage against service personnel and their families. <\/p>\n

As part of their Corporate Covenant pledge, local HR<\/abbr> company, Crispin Rhodes in Milton Keynes, is helping other organisations develop armed forces friendly HR<\/abbr> policies.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Ramblers Worldwide Holidays in Welwyn Hatfield have found that they can really recruit high quality holiday leaders from ex-servicemen and women. According to their MD<\/abbr>: \u201cThese are people used to managing groups for extended periods of time and caring for their welfare too, ideal skills to bring to the role of a walking holiday leader\u201d <\/p>\n

Examples of small companies doing this<\/h3>\n

Vodafone\u2019s slogan is \u201cpower to you\u201d. So G-d bless Vodaphone and all the other companies who have signed.<\/p>\n

More power to your elbows. Now our challenge is to maintain this momentum \u2026to keep expanding the covenant as widely as possible.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re looking to you to become our advocates. Pushing the message down through your own organisations and out to others across the sector<\/p>\n

\u2026that this isn\u2019t just about doing the right thing for the country\u2026it\u2019s about doing the right thing for your business too.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h3>\n

So ladies and gentleman. You\u2019re doing a wonderful thing in supporting our armed forces through the covenant. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s genuinely heart warming to see so many keen to employ reservists and ex-service personnel.<\/p>\n

Some of you will have already received well deserved recognition through bronze, silver or gold awards\u2026some may even have been thanked in person by the Prime Minister at Downing Street.<\/p>\n

But\u2026as the Minister involved at the start of the Corporate Covenant\u2026let me say on behalf of service personal and their families\u2026two small but really heartfelt words.<\/p>\n

\u2026Thank You.<\/p>\n

In the last two years we\u2019ve come an awfully long way. <\/p>\n

But we\u2019re on a roll now. <\/p>\n

So let\u2019s accelerate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Speech by Mark Francois, Minister of State for the Armed Forces.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55184"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=55184"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55184\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=55184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=55184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=55184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}